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Revolution #wakeup #occupylove #nodapl

On the topic of revolution… I’m a pacifist. Most of the time. And it’s better to focus on building something new than on tearing down the old. Simple, but that’s just the short version…

So I had a discussion about revolution earlier today. People talk about revolution but what would we be revolting against and what solution would we be aiming for? Is a peaceful revolution to idealistic?
Some would say the war started years ago, whether it’s the war against white supremacy (for equality, not a dualistic version where some race has to be on top, that’s where #blacklivesmatter vs #alllivesmatter went wrong. It’s not a f***ing competition unless you think it is.) Or whether it’s the war against western imperialism, everyone from the Vietcong to Iraq and Syria could basically ask America, England and the United Nations “what the f*** are you even doing over here anyway?”
I rarely talk about white supremacy because most of my friends are white but Trump brought alot of issues to the surface. And Brexit brought alot of issues to the surface.

It’s a war against ignorance. Perhaps, from my slightly arrogant perspective (and I hate seeing arrogance in myself), it’s a war against gullibility. Because, as I have mentioned before, in both America and England people have blamed immigrants for the financial mess banks and politicians put us in. The blame game is pretty pointless though. What are the solutions? The counter to ignorance is education, perhaps the counter to gullibility is awareness. What do I do? List the number of times newspapers lied to us until people stop believing everything they read?

Educating people to vote for third parties, educating people to change non proportional, unrepresentative voting systems, (campaign for electoral reform), educating people to see we do not need oil or non-renewable resources (there are plenty of renewable, green options), these all seem like better ideas than fighting the police or the army. Especially as if the army and police knew how the banks robbed them too they might be on the side of the people rather than their masters who send them to die for oil money.

So, this was what I said earlier…

I’m a squeamish pacifist. Most of the time. But in the land of duality if forced to pick a side it’ll always be the side of the oppressed, not the oppressors. Of the rebels, not the empire. But that’s over simplified.
I like to say we’re all one. And I fantasise about a day when the police are aware of the banks and politicians enough to be on the side of the people. But being realistic I can imagine how far I’d get talking to a racist policeman who actually enjoys beating up “niggers and krusties” about Western imperialism, the tyranny of the banks ans the fact that we’re all one.
My hope is that we all educate each other enough that the next generation of army and police already know. But even with that long term plan, the fascists are teaching their kids too. What to do?
I still believe that nature generally wants to collaborate rather than compete, that love is the strongest force there is.
But as squeamish and peaceful as I am I still practice martial arts because no animal in nature is peaceful when a predator comes between them and their loved ones.
We all have dark sides, and every hippy with a burner should have a good axe handy. For wood. Obviously.
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“Fight what?” asked a wise friend…

GOOD QUESTION. I’m not fighting anything, I’m creating alternatives. I used to describe myself as anti-capitalist and fighting the capitlaist system but now I want money for positive things I’ve stopped labelling myself or my path. But, theoretically, IF it’s a fight – what are we fighting for and what are we fighting against? That’s one of the issues with the activist movement and the squat scene and the anarchist scene (and the black power movement.) Some people say the problem is the jews, the whites, the rich. But oppression crosses race, class, etc. You can’t tell a poor white person that it’s the white man holding him down even if there is a disproportionate amount of white male music execs, Hollywood execs, military officers, police officers and bankers. You can’t tell a jew that Jews run the world after what Hitler did. There are black policemen who would f*** a black person up for a raise, there are poor white folk who would fight the police for the cause. Fight oppression would be my short answer but the details are more complex than that. Fight white supremacy could be an answer but that might alienate all the white people who aren’t supremacists.
If I was forced to specify I would say “the military industrial complex, western imperialism, and the cabal of banks who profit from war and non-renewable resources.” But that’s just me.
And strictly speaking I’m not fighting anything, I’d rather start a new off grid civilisation that has nothing to do with fighting the old but building something new.

So, in conclusion. I’m a pacifist. Most of the time. And it’s better to focus on building something new than tearing down the old